Historic Preservation - Easements

Conserving Open Space and Historic Resources through Easements

The Fairfax County Open Space/Historic Preservation Easements
Program is committed to helping owners protect open space, historic
resources, scenic vistas, and sensitive natural areas on their
property, enabling these resources to remain in private ownership.
Donating a perpetual easement may qualify for certain federal,
state and/or local tax benefits. In addition, donating a perpetual
easement can be beneficial in terms of estate taxes for passing on
land or a treasured historic, scenic, or natural resource intact to
the next generation. An easement is implemented through a deed of
easement conveyed by the property owner to an easement-holding
organization such as a private land trust or a government entity.

Fairfax County has entered into a public-private partnership with
the Northern Virginia
Conservation Trust (NVCT), a private non-profit land trust
eligible to hold easements. This public-private partnership does
not preclude property owners interested in putting easements on
their properties from working with any other qualified
easement-holding entity. These include qualified county or regional
authorities and agencies, as well as local, state or national
non-profit land trusts. For example, the Fairfax
County Park Authority and the Northern Virginia Regional
Park Authority each hold easements for open space and park
purposes. The Potomac Conservancy specializes in holding easements
on properties along the Potomac River and holds easements in
Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The
McLean Land Conservancy focuses on the McLean area.

Open space/historic preservation easements allow individual
landowners to permanently protect their land or historic structure
while continuing to own and enjoy it. Because these easements are
generally perpetual and run with the land, the terms of the
easement bind the current property owner, heirs, and those who
purchase the property in the future.